How then does the Western “Nocturne� relate to these works, which are so heavily influenced by Japanese artistic styles? In incorporating the Western idea of the nocturne into the title of his “moonlights,� Whistler was attempting to define more clearly his motive to bridge the gap between East and West on canvas. By juxtaposing Eastern and Western theories in one title and fusing them with a colon, Whistler was hoping to underscore this duality of influences. However, the musical reference serves only to convolute the primary message of the “moonlights� as a synthesis of two cultural entities by bringing in an idea that is central to neither his Japanese nor his Western artistic identity. In fact, Whistler himself did not come up with the title of “Nocturne,� revealing that he did not create his “moonlights� with the nocturne in mind, instead conceiving them as images of a Japanese London in the style of Hiroshige. The pieces were originally called "moonlights." Indeed, Nocturne: Blue and Silver—Chelsea was bought in 1871 by the banker W. C. Alexander under the original title Harmony in Blue-Green—Moonlight, revealing Whistler's intial preferce for "moonlight" in the titling of the series. Because Whistler had titled previous series after musical compositions, that he did not intend to continue this trend shows that Whistler saw his "moonlights" as representing a separate influence - that of Hiroshige - and a separate intent - to see Japan in the London nights. The title of “Nocturne� was suggested to Whistler in 1872, six years after he began creating them, by a patron and Liverpool ship owner, F.R. Leyland ("Whistler"), who probably did not pick up on this evolution in Whistler's artistic motivation. Leyland was also an amateur pianist, who was particularly fond of Chopin (Anderson 168), the most famous composer of nocturnes ("Nocturne"). Thus his suggestion of "Nocturne" was perhaps more of a homage to Chopin than a reflection of the actual paintings. Of course, Whistler did write to Leyland:
“‘I can’t thank you too much for the name ‘Nocturne’ as a title for my moonlights!...You have no idea what an irritation it proves to the critics and consequent pleasure to me – besides it is really so charming and does so poetically say all that I want it to say and no more than I wish’� (qtd. MacDonald 12).
But, this only goes to show that in contrast to his Japanese influences, which Whistler took very seriously, Whistler’s incorporation of “Nocturne� in the title of his “moonlights� was whimsical – almost joking. Furthermore, because Whistler had already established a habit of titling his works after musical compositions such as symphonies or harmonies, that he refers to the works as “moonlights� and not by some other musical name further reveals that he did not initially intend the works to relate directly to music. In fact, Whistler even stated during the Ruskin Trial: "I have chosen the word "nocturne" because it simplifies the whole set of them; it is an accident that I happened upon terms used in music" (Anderson 219). Thus, in describing his works as "Nocturnes," Whistler brought in a secondary musical theme that he did not intend in the works. Leyland probably recommended the title in keeping with this already established trend, and Whistler chose to adopt it probably upon reflection that his “moonlights� were not so unlike his other works, the musical titles of which are symbolic of their purely aesthetic value. The “Nocturne� is entirely tangential to the Japanese essence of the “moonlights.�
Moreover, the meaning of “Nocturne� is itself extremely convoluted, serving only to further obscure the message of the “moonlights� and to divest them of their Japanese essence. That the titling of works in reference to musical compositions or styles originated in French Romanticism lends the “Nocturne� its Western connotation. However, Whistler claimed: “‘by using the word ‘nocturne’ I wish to indicate an artistic interest alone, divesting the picture of any outside anecdotal interest which might have been otherwise attached to it’� (qtd. Ono 72). This is more in the Japanese tradition of ornamental art than in emulation of the “Nocturne� as might be suggested by French Romanticists. In fact, the idea of art as purely decorative arrived in France from Japan after it’s opening to the West, and was popularized by the ensuing Japonisme, eventually evolving into the aesthetic movement (“Aesthetic Movement�). Art critic F. Wedmore writes of the “moonlights� in his article, “Four Masters of Etching,� “‘like the landscape art of Japan, they are harmonious decorations’� (qtd. Goupil 1). It is then possible that Whistler incorporated the concept of “Nocturne� into the “moonlights� as a further reference to Japan. However, given its indissoluble association with Western, Romantic painting, he would still have done best to omit the “Nocturne� from the title of the “moonlights.� Furthermore, the “moonlights� do not “indicate an artistic interest alone;� in their creation, Whistler was clearly motivated by a desire to bridge the gap between East and West. His use of “Nocturne� in titling his “moonlights� thus obscures the primary intent of the works. Though Whistler perhaps thought that including the “Nocturne� in the title of his pieces would underscore this intent, the inaptitude of its usage in the “moonlights� divests them of their Japanese focus – their primary significance as created in the West by a Western artist and yet quintessentially Japanese.
Whistler. Nocturne in Blue and Silver – Chelsea, 1871.